You can buy black oil sunflower seed for birds at specialty wild bird stores and online. Urban Nature Store sells black oil sunflower at ten Ontario stores in 9 lb and 50 lb bags for store pickup, and in a 6 lb bag that ships anywhere in Canada. It is the seed the store's own guides recommend as the best single seed to start with, because most backyard birds will eat it.
What Is Black Oil Sunflower Seed?
Black oil sunflower seed is a small sunflower seed with a thin black shell that most feeder birds can crack open easily. Urban Nature Store's product page calls it "a basic seed that most birds will consume," even if it isn't every bird's top choice, and its winter feeding guide adds that the high fat content gives birds the energy they need in cold weather.
The seed is sold in the shell, so birds drop hulls and some unopened seed as they eat. Ground-feeding birds such as doves and pigeons often eat the fallen seed, but the empty shells stay under the feeder.
Which Birds Eat Black Oil Sunflower Seed?
Black oil sunflower seed draws a wide mix of backyard birds. Urban Nature Store's product page names sparrows, doves and finches, and the store's winter feeding guide adds cardinals, chickadees and titmice.
That range is why the store's guide to the best bird feeder for beginners calls black oil sunflower the best starting seed: a specialty seed such as nyjer narrows the audience to finches, while black oil sunflower appeals across species.
Which Feeders Work With Black Oil Sunflower Seed?
Tube, hopper and platform feeders all work with black oil sunflower seed. Urban Nature Store's winter feeding guide names tube feeders as ideal for it because they keep the seed clean and out of the snow, while the beginner feeder guide pairs it with an open platform feeder that birds of every size can land on. Tube styles are in the tube feeders collection.
What Bag Sizes of Black Oil Sunflower Can You Buy?
Urban Nature Store sells Black Oil Sunflower in three bag sizes, and the size decides how you get it:
|
Bag size |
How to get it |
Price |
|---|---|---|
|
6 lb |
Home delivery only |
$10.95 |
|
9 lb |
Store pickup only |
$12.95 |
|
50 lb |
Store pickup only |
$52.95 |
Bag sizes and prices from Urban Nature Store's product page, November 2026.
Larger bags cost less per pound: the 9 lb bag works out to about $1.44 a pound and the 50 lb bag to about $1.06, against about $1.83 for the 6 lb delivery bag.
Where Can You Buy Black Oil Sunflower In Store or Online?
In store, all of Urban Nature Store's established locations stock black oil sunflower: on November 4, 2026, nine of the ten stores showed more than 100 bags each, and only the new Thornhill store showed none. The product page notes that a store with zero stock can still take a pickup order, which is ready once the store receives a restock from the warehouse. Store addresses are on the store locations page.
Online, the 6 lb bag ships anywhere in Canada, and orders over $125 ship free. The 6 lb delivery bag was briefly backordered in late October 2026, so check the product page before ordering if you need seed quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Urban Nature Store's black oil sunflower packaged in Canada?
Yes, except the 50 lb bag. The product page says the seed is packaged in Canada using domestic and imported ingredients, and that this excludes the 50 lb bags.
Is black oil sunflower seed good for winter feeding?
Yes. Urban Nature Store's winter feeding guide calls black oil sunflower a classic choice for winter feeders, because its thin shell is easy for smaller birds to crack and its high fat content supplies the energy birds need to stay warm.
Is black oil sunflower the same as sunflower hearts?
No. Black oil sunflower is sold in the shell, while sunflower hearts are sunflower seed with the shell already removed, so birds waste less effort and no hulls land under the feeder. Urban Nature Store sells both.
